This Week at Good Shepherd

It's Christmas Stars time again! Please bring your unwrapped gifts in a large bag to the Parlor this Sunday. Do remember to include your name and the name of the child for whom you bought gifts.

Adult Formation Class this Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Parlor. Join us for a video and discussion format using Bruce Feiler's book and video series entitled "Walking The Bible." No homework required! And if you haven't come previously, come on in this week!

Join us for Mid-week Eucharist Wednesday at noon. Please join us again for this healing service in the Sanctuary.

All Choirs Rehearse Wednesday. The Cherub and Alleluia Choirs will rehearse Wednesdays with Cherub Choir starting at 5:00 p.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. Alleluia Choir rehearsals will begin at 5:15 p.m. and end at 6:15 p.m. The two choirs will rehearse together from 5:15-5:30 p.m.

Coming Very Soon!

Christmas Eve Service at 5:00 p.m. with a musical prelude beginning at 4:30 p.m. with our choirs, soloists and instrumentalists. This is a beautiful service you won't want to miss.

We plan to have our annual Christmas Pageant on Sunday, January 4th, at the 10:30 a.m. service. We will have a brief rehearsal in the church at 9:50 that morning and then will put on costumes in the choir area of the parish hall.

Volunteers have already signed up to portray Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We still need volunteers for the roles of Angels, Shepherds, Wise Men, Isaiah, animals, and a star. We also need older youth to volunteer to read lessons at the pageant.

Please contact Lawrence Goering at lgoering@goodshepherdrmt.org or 252-813-0190 if your child would like to be in the pageant and let us know what role your child prefers. We would like to include as many names as possible in the bulletin that will be printed late next week.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope that lots of children will participate in this year's pageant!

Join the Outreach Committee on Monday, Dec. 22 to help pack and distribute Christmas Food Boxes with our Ripe for Revival friends. Interested? Scan the code below to sign up! See you there!

James Barkley lit the Second Advent Candle on Sunday

Wasn't Lessons and Carols beautiful?

Thanks to all our musicians!

Coming Soon!

On February 7^th (a Saturday), we will be hosting a Rise Against Hunger event on behalf of the Rocky Mount Convocation (our local grouping of Episcopal churches) 

This is a meal-packing event, and this is what RAH does all day every day, so they've got it down to a science. They show up at 9:00 a.m., we start the event at 10:00 and keep packing until 12:00, and they pack out until 1:00 p.m. The Convocation has been doing this for years, and it's our turn host this year!

Right now we (as a convocation, not just Good Shepherd) will be responsible for providing 75 volunteers and $6350 in funds to pay for the material and shipping it to where they ship it to — last year it went to the Philippines). We've already got $900 from an over-payment last year. 

If Good Shepherd hugs this to death with donations, we can add more meals (so, packing 20K instead of 15K) up until the last week of January. Look for sign up information information in early January.

Parish Prayer List

For those in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity: especially William Bryan, Brod Paul, Michael Townsend, Mac Martin, Ann Burke, Janet and Brian McMaster, Donna Andrews, Joyce Greening, Hart Wiggins, George Vargha, Helen Sharpe, John and Irene Groobey, Jim Facile, Shannon Sutton, Florine McClain, Scott Sumrall, Joyce Cuthrell, Whitney Herbert, Amy McCotter, Chris Poole, and Gregory Strickland.

For continued health and healing: Jim Facile, Bill and Aileen Harris, Brent Wilson, Jeanette Benfield, Notie Vay Meadows, Bill Harris, Aileen Harris, Bill Hudgins, Mary W. Dawson, Becky Bryan, Albert Ervin, Frances Gaither, Dwight Johnson, and Boo White.

For the blessings of this life: James Beck Bowen, son of Kathryn (Hicks) and Jackson Bowen and Hardy Kennon Renegar, son of Blake and Michelle (Barringer) Renegar.



For those expecting the birth of a child:  Frederick and Kelly Frohbose, Lucas and Lindsey Bayless, Courtney (Bondy) and Tyler Ferguson, and Mark and Sara Burnette.

For those who have died: Dinah Fowlkes, Evelyn Sanders, and George Pell Lea.



To add or remove people on the Prayer List please contact Cheryl Coppedge at coppedgecheryl@gmail.com. Please ask their permission before submitting. Please include an address in your email to Cheryl so that the Encouragement Committee may send a card.

A note about pastoral care emergencies: If you are experiencing a pastoral emergency (e.g. someone you love or you yourself are in the hospital, or you’re experiencing some distressing news) please call my cell phone (570-259-0671) and leave a message if I don’t pick up right away. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. If in doubt, please call – I can’t support you if I don’t know you need support!

BZC+